The following relates generally to wireless communication, and more specifically to adjusting energy detection levels. Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power).
Generally, a wireless multiple-access communications system may include a number of access points or stations, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple mobile devices. Stations may communicate with mobile devices on downstream and upstream links Stations may have a coverage range, which may be referred to as the coverage area of the cell. In Wi-Fi systems, a station may perform a clear channel assessment before transmitting, which may consist of detecting a total amount of energy in a channel. If the energy in a channel is above a threshold level, the station may refrain from transmitting until a later time. This energy detection (ED) threshold level may be set to a fixed value. This fixed level may not result in the best performance of the wireless network in terms of throughput or packet error rate (PER).